Question 1

True or false: Henry Hudson was knighted by King James I for his exploration of North America.

Accepted Answer

False. Hudson was never knighted; he was a private explorer with no royal title from England or any country.

Question 2

True or false: Hudson discovered the Hudson Bay while searching for a northwest passage to Asia.

Accepted Answer

True. In 1610, he sailed into Hudson Bay, believing it might lead to the Pacific, but it was a dead end.

Question 3

True or false: Hudson's ship, the Half Moon, was originally built for the Dutch navy.

Accepted Answer

False. The Half Moon was a Dutch fluyt, but it was a merchant vessel, not a naval warship, chartered for exploration.

Question 4

True or false: Henry Hudson named the Hudson River after himself during his first expedition.

Accepted Answer

False. The river was named for him later by others; Hudson never named any major feature after himself.

Question 5

True or false: Henry Hudson's final voyage was funded by a Dutch company, not an English one.

Accepted Answer

True. His 1609 voyage for the Dutch East India Company led to the discovery of the Hudson River, though he was English.

Question 6

True or false: Hudson's crew mutinied because they thought he was hoarding food for a secret mission.

Accepted Answer

True. In 1611, after a harsh winter, the crew mutinied, accusing Hudson of hoarding provisions, leaving him to die.

Question 7

True or false: Hudson survived his final voyage and later explored the Arctic for Russia.

Accepted Answer

False. He was set adrift in a small boat with loyal crew members by mutineers in 1611, likely dying soon after.

Question 8

True or false: Henry Hudson was the first European to sail up the Hudson River all the way to present-day Albany.

Accepted Answer

True. He navigated about 150 miles upriver in 1609, reaching near Albany, claiming the area for the Dutch.

Henry Hudson Trivia Questions